Year 12 - Week 17: Why I'm Still Teaching

People across America have left education. There are many reasons why, and it breaks my heart to think about all the challenges and the trauma that led so many educators to leave the students they love. There have been challenging moments throughout this pandemic, and until last week, I didn’t feel like I wanted to leave teaching. However, that moment last week, while significant was fleeting, because of all the reasons why I am refusing to quit teaching. 

Here are six reasons why:

Senator Elizabeth Warren.

During the darkest day of the trump presidency, there were times that I wanted to give up on America. And every time I thought about feeling hopeless about the future of our country, I would read about Senator Warren persisting. As long as Senator Warren believed in America, so would I.

Senator Warren faces challenges in her work every day but keeps working because it is essential and meaningful. As long as she persists in her work, so will I.

Educators

I love spending time with educators. They are the best kind of people. Educators love children, and they love learning. They see the humor in children and also the wonder in their eyes. All of the people I respect the most in my life, including my parents and my wife, are educators. I want to be like them.

My Students

On Wednesday, I introduced my fourth graders to “We Shall Overcome.” After telling them the history of this song and showing them a couple of performances, I taught them how to sing the song line by line. Then, when we were done, I had them sing the song straight through.

 

They tried so hard to sing this song with respect and care. No, it was technically a great musical performance, but it was one of the most beautiful performances I have ever heard in my life. Moments like these make all of the challenges of Teaching during this pandemic feel worth it.

 

My Children

“...this job, this work, what’s I’d accomplished--it needed to be worth the time that I’d spent away from them…whatever it was that I’d missed. It better count” - President Obama

My job, my time away from my children, needs to mean something. Teaching is a way that I make the world a better place for my children. 

My wife

It’s not easy having a partner who is a teacher. Diana has done so much to support me as an educator. There have been many times throughout this pandemic when I was stressed out or exhausted, and she has had to do more with the children or around the house. She has never complained about these moments.

Diana has never suggested that I leave teaching. Instead, I see this look in her eye when I tell her about my work. It’s a look of pride and love. Diana believes that I am a great teacher and has never wavered in her support.

My Blessings

My life is full of blessings. People throughout my life have been kind to me, worked hard to make my life better, and believed in me. I don’t feel like I deserve all that has been given to me. So, the only way that I can make meaningful these blessings and show gratitude to all those who did so much for me, is to do as much as possible for others. In teaching, I give to others and show that kindness every day that was given to me.

Year 12 - Week 15: What A Week

I don't even know where to start. 

On Monday, I taught my sixth graders about the incredible indigenous rapper and musician Frank Waln.

In addition, I taught my students about the American Indian Boarding Schools in exploring his work. This discussion led to some of my students feeling deeply about this part of our history, and one student started crying when learning about these "schools."

 

I put an assembly on for my 4th and 5th graders instead of performing for their families. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 restrictions, we couldn't bring parents into this school for this event. I've never done anything like this before, and it was a wonderful, magical event.

Tuesday, I had some difficult moments of teaching that shook my confidence as a teacher. I struggled to try to get work duties done while at the same time spending some time taking care of some essential personal things. Also, on Tuesday, my youngest, Lucas, got the flu. 

Wednesday, I stayed home with Lucas. While it felt rewarding to stay home and take care of my son, things at school kept moving forward. Unfortunately, our COVID-19 testing procedures revealed that a significant number of students testing positive. This led to the cancellation of the classes for the 8th grade for the remainder of the week and the rescheduling of the choir concert that was going to be Thursday night. As schools all across America put on concerts, ours was canceled. Even though this decision was made for the right reasons, it felt like something was taken from us.

Thursday, I spent a lot of time on parent communications. I have to craft these messages carefully, and this takes a lot of time.

Throughout the week, I received emails about students testing positive for COVID-19. This, along with the cancellation of the choir concert and 8th-grade classes, changes the school's mood. Parents were feeling this, and as Thursday went on, many parents pulled their students out of school. Many families decided not to send their children to school.

Some parents sent their children to school but requested that their students not play in band class due to concerns about COVID-19. I let these students have a study hall with another teacher. These students combined with students who didn't go to school resulted in half of my band students not being present in class, which was the day's final period.

Thursday night, disturbing social media trends came to my attention, which warned that school violence. Also, Thursday night, the high school in my community, Evanston Township High School, shut down after two guns were found on campus. 

Friday, I went in for a half-day of school. Many, many students were absent. I had two calls with the student's parents that went well. While these conversations were productive and felt rewarding, the morning was exhausting. I'm not sure what being burned out feels like, but I think I'm close.


I could write a whole post about each day this week, and I may later, but I'm done thinking about school right now.

It's been a week. It's been a month. It's been a year, and it's coming to an end. I'm not sure what 2022 will bring to my life as a teacher. I just hope it doesn't start how my 2021 ended.